TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018 [ 2 ] TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION CONTENTS Executive Summary: What We Are Working Towards ...........................................................................................................1 Background ............................................................................................................................................................................3 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................................................5 Current Context ......................................................................................................................................................................6 Vision Statement ....................................................................................................................................................................8 Our Values: How We Will Work Towards Our Priorities ....................................................................................................... 10 Our Priorities: What We Want to Achieve ........................................................................................................................... 12 1) Education 13 2) Safety 14 3) Health 15 4) Culture 16 5) Capital/Infrastructure 17 6) Housing 18 7) Government 19 8) Economic Development 20 STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018 [ 3 ] [ 4 ] TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: WHAT WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS This is our second five-year strategic plan. It is the result of a community consultation that asked Members to look forward into the future, and envision the type of community they want to live in. This document sets out that vision. We have summarized the document as follows: We are working towards Tsawwassen First Nation being a safe and healthy community, with infrastructure and facilities to serve our growing population. Important services such as medical facilities, a cultural centre, and outdoor spaces will be available within our “community. Our culture will once again be thriving, and the Hun’qum’inum language will be enjoying a revival. Industrial and commercial developments will provide financial security to our Nation which will allow us to provide top-tier programs and services to our community. Members will be thriving academically and unemployment will be at an all-time low. Members will be strongly represented in management positions in our Government and Member-owned businesses will play a vital role in our local economy. Tsawwassen Government will continue to be responsive and transparent to our Members. It will deliver programs and enforce laws fairly so as to enhance the safety and livability of our community. Lands and housing will be available for our children and Members moving from elsewhere to return to live in our community.” STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018 [ 1 ] [ 2 ] TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION BACKGROUND This is the second Strategic Plan for our community of Tsawwassen and by our Members, that will transform our economy and make us First Nation (“Tsawwassen”). It will span the five-year period from economically sustainable and independent. The next five years will 2013 – 2018. The first plan, from 2008 – 2013, guided us through build on this work and move us forward on the path to success as a a hugely significant time. It was in place while we prepared for our community. Treaty; it was in place on April 3rd, 2009, when we celebrated the This plan sets out priorities for our Government for the next five-year Effective Date of our Treaty; and it has been in place as we have taken period. This plan is the result of a comprehensive consultation with our first steps into self-government. the Tsawwassen community and staff. The Government, represented These are formative years for us. Living under the Indian Act has left by Tsawwassen Legislature and Executive Council, have reviewed, our community with significant deficits in many aspects. Programs commented on, and endorsed this Strategic Plan. Through the summer are underfunded; physical assets such as community services and of 2012, the following information-gathering sessions were held: amenities are poor or non-existent; and our connection to our land and culture is not as strong as it could be. And yet, the Indian Act has workshops with our Members at our 2012 Members’ Gathering, not taken away other key elements that define us as a community. It held at UBC has not broken our hope; it has not broken our willingness to work 1 meeting with our Members living in the Okanagan area hard for our community; and it has not broken the bonds of family, 1 meeting with our Members living in the Lummi/Bellingham area community, culture, and togetherness that make us who we are. 1 visioning session with our Executive Council (2012-2013) We have many priorities for our new Government. We want to accomplish as much as possible. There are so many things that we 1 visioning session with the Tsawwassen Legislature (2012-2013) can improve. We recognize that working together is how we will 1 visioning session with TFN youth attending our Members’ accomplish these priorities. We also recognize that these next five Gathering years will be significant. Our last five-year period saw our transition to Treaty and the stabilization of our Government structures. It saw Family meetings with those who were unable to attend the significant progress on important negotiations, both by Government Members’ Gathering STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018 [ 3 ] [ 4 ] TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION PURPOSE This Strategic Plan sets the broad direction for Tsawwassen Government. This is intended to be a five-year plan; it should be revisited and renewed at that time, in order to take stock of progress and re-assess whether objectives, priorities and values have shifted. In addition to this five-year Strategic Plan, Tsawwassen Government will produce annual plans that will reflect the strategic direction provided in this plan. This Plan is not intended to be a detailed analysis of program options and operational plans. Instead, it is intended to be a broad framework into which a number of initiatives would fit. This Plan is intended to reflect the needs and expressions of the community. This Strategic Plan is focused on setting out the vision and broad goals for the community of Members that make up Tsawwassen First Nation. We recognize that we are growing, and will be welcoming many non-Members onto Tsawwassen Lands to live, work, and access services. Other planning exercises will be required to ensure that the broader community is also equipped with a vision and a sense of direction. STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018 [ 5 ] CURRENT CONTEXT Prior to identifying goals and priorities for the future, it is important to describe Tsawwassen’s current situation. The following statements express positive current aspects of the Tsawwassen community: COMMUNITY: Our community has lived together since time immemorial. We all pull together in times of hardship and in times of celebration. We draw strength from our community by working together and supporting one another. This contributes to a strong community identity that is lacking in most urban environments. Our sense of community is reinforced by our Members’ strong engagement in the governance processes that shape the development of our community. CULTURE: We are proud of our heritage and traditions and we are focused on growing and revitalizing our culture. We have initiatives in place to revive our traditional Hun’qum’inum language. Traditional events and ceremonies are an important part of the community calendar and our Longhouse is a central location for Coast Salish cultural ceremonies. CHILDREN, YOUTH AND EDUCATION: Our children and youth represent our future and the most important priority of the present. We have a young population that shows exceptional promise. We have invested in child and youth programming, and we now enjoy excellent daycare, early childhood education and youth-oriented facilities. Our community values education as a highest priority and we are striving to put programming in place to help us achieve our education goals. SELF-GOVERNMENT: We have made great strides in the short time since we achieved self-government. We now benefit from honest, accountable and capable leadership drawn from our Membership. Our community draws strength from being led by our own people who understand and appreciate the spirit of our traditions and culture. Our leadership is open and accessible and our community is intimately involved in all decisions that affect us. This profound community engagement enables us to take ownership of the future we are creating for ourselves and our children. LOCATION: Our people have a very close connection to the land and take great pride in living in our traditional territory. We enjoy an incredible location – both with respect to natural beauty and to economic opportunity. The port and ferry terminals provide potential for [ 6 ] TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION economic growth and make our lands an optimal location for business and industry. The foreshore and oceanfront provide a beautiful setting and a healthy, natural environment in which to live and work. Our lands are centrally located, close to traditional fishing sites and thriving urban centres. While we have urban conveniences at our doorstep, our children and youth are still able to roam, explore and connect with our natural surroundings in a peaceful and